Lost and Insecure (You Found Me)
by onlyyoujarly
Summary: When Brooke shows up on Jake's doorstep, saying she's pregnant, they are both pulled into a tangled web of drama and lies.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- This story is kinda AU. After graduation the gang decided to stay in Tree Hill for a year before leaving for college and such. Jamie was born junior year instead of senior year, so he's two. Jenny is three. And Lucas and Peyton are together.**

Part 1

She is the last person he expects to find on the other side of the door when he answers it. She is a sobbing mess, barely able to form a coherent sentence, something he never imagined Brooke Davis as. She has always been strong, someone to look to for a shoulder to cry on, a hero. But, for some reason tonight she needs a hero, and she seems to want him to be it.

He steps aside for her to come in, and she slowly comes in. He is unsure of whether he should wrap his arms around her or not, because despite having dated him best friend for a while, he never really got to know her. Her sobs quiet for a moment, and she seems to be getting control of herself.

"I'm pregnant," she whispers, as if saying it too loud will inform the whole town.

He nods. Maybe that's why she had come to him. He is an expert on expecting a baby when you weren't ready. Sure she isn't in high school, like he had been, but she is still young and doesn't have a stable form of income. She is merely eighteen, and had been raised to think money grew on trees. But, still why fly all the way out to Savannah just to tell him when she had Peyton, Lucas, Haley, and Nathan?

"I know you must be scared, but I'm sure Chase will be there. He seems like a good guy…" He hadn't really talked him, not for an extended amount of time, but while he was in town for Naley's latest get together, he had seemed nice enough.

She shakes her head furiously. "You don't understand! It's not Chase's." Then the tears start again. "It's Nathan's. And I'm about to ruin Jamie's life all because of my damn hormones." Then she begins to sob again.

He wants to judge her, wants to tell her to get out, but she is here because she needs him. And he hasn't been needed by anyone, besides Jenny, in a long time. And seeing Brooke Davis cry, despite not really knowing her, cuts at his heart.

"They're going to hate me when they find out," she cries, and if it was anyone she would sound pathetic, but this Brooke and it is heartbreaking to watch as she crumbles.

He has a feeling she's been taking on everyone else's problems just like she usually does. So, he makes a spilt second decision, one he'll probably regret later. But, she needs someone right now, a hero. And he hasn't been anyone's hero since Peyton, not that he really thinks he's hero material. He had lost Peyton after all. But, he had also saved her once.

"We could lie, say that the baby's mine," he suggests.

Her tears slow, and she chokes on the last of her sobs. It doesn't seem like something she would do. Lie. But, then he remembers that Jamie means the world to her, and she would do anything for her God son.

"I…I don't know. I mean…would you really do that for me?" She asks, surprised that someone would actually make such a big sacrifice for her.

He takes a moment to process what he has just offered to do, and then nods. "Yeah, I would. It's not like I've never went through this before. I mean I'm already a father, so I'm experienced."

For the first time since she arrived, she smiles, but then it vanishes. "This is gonna hurt Peyton."

He grimaces at the mention of his ex's name. "Yeah, but it's gonna hurt Jamie if you don't."

The tears are back, and this time Jake steps forward to brush them away.

"Let me be the father of your child," he requests.

"You really wanna do this?" She questions, tears falling steadily down her red cheeks.

"Yeah, I do. I think you'd be a great mom, and I'd like to be apart of it," he assures her.

She lets out a breath, and he is so close he can smell the mint of her toothpaste. "Okay," she agrees. "But, you have to come back to Tree Hill with me."


	2. Chapter 2

After spending the weekend in Savannah, and away from everyone else's problems, it's almost overwhelming when Brooke has to return to Tree Hill. She supposes she doesn't have to go back, but she had made a commitment to Chase, and the least she could do was tell him the lie to his face. Lie to P. Sawyer to her face. The last two people she wanted to hurt, and she is about to destroy them.

But, Jamie is more important. He is young and won't understand if his family is broken up. She had never imagined herself building a family with Jake Jagieliski. But, she is, and he seems to be a good choice to be a father to her child. Not that Nathan wouldn't be a great father. He already is to Jamie. But, that's just it. He is Jamie's father. And Jamie shouldn't have to share him with her bastard child.

And because of this, she is on her best friend's door step. At what is supposed to be her best friend. Peyton had never been the best friend, though Brooke had forgiven her for every mistake. But, now, as she is about to put the final cut in the delicate material that is their friendship, she realizes that despite this, she will miss Peyton the most. Because, Peyton isn't as forgiving as she is. Surely, she won't forgive her for having a baby with her first love.

Finally, Brooke finds the courage to knock on Peyton's door. It's Lucas that answers. And Brooke is taken back to all the times he had run off with her friend, when he should have been with her. All her insecurities come crashing back, and she suddenly believes she isn't good enough. And she wonders if Jake will abandon her and this new baby if he had a second chance with Peyton.

But, somehow, she pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind, and focuses her attention on the task at hand. Lying to her friends. The two people who had hurt her the most.

"I need to talk to you and Peyton, but mostly Peyton. But, I think you should be here for moral support, for her."

Lucas gives her a confused look. She feels tears prick her eyes, but she blinks them away. When Peyton appears behind Lucas, a smile on her face, Brooke suddenly wishes she had brought Jake with her. He had offered to come, but she had insisted she had to do this alone. This is her moment with Peyton. He will have his own.

"Come on in. Peyton was just making pancakes," Lucas says, his voice welcoming and warm.

"It's his favorite," Peyton adds, as if to throw the fact that they are together in her face. If only she knew French toast was actually his favorite.

Brooke follows her friends into their Roe/Scott home, and immediately smells burnt pancakes. She knows the smell by heart. Pancakes were one of the first things she had attempted to master when she first moved out on her own.

Despite the situation, she finds herself holding in a laugh, and Peyton glares at her. Lucas glances over at her, and he has the smallest of small smiles on his face, at least until his girlfriend yells for him from the kitchen.

Brooke follows him into the kitchen, after a few moments of preparing herself for the inevitable. Enough procrastinating. It is time to tell them, she decides.

"Look, I have something really important to tell you, Peyton. It's something I don't think you're gonna like," Brooke says, letting out a long breath.

Peyton pauses in her waving of the smoke away, and Lucas drops the hot pan in the sink. She has their undivided attention.

"Can Lucas stay?" Peyton asks, looking at Lucas, helplessly.

"If you want him to," Brooke agrees.

"I'm pregnant," she starts.

"That's great, Brooke!" Peyton exclaims, moving to hug her friend, but then stops when she notices the look on her face. "Isn't it?"

"No. I don't know. It's Jake's."

"As in my Jake?" Peyton asks, or more like demands.

Brooke nods, too ashamed to do anything else. Before she knows what is happening, her best friend, now she assumes former best friend is in her face.

"You called me a backstabbing, two faced bitch! But, guess what, Brooke. You're a hypocrite! I don't ever want to see you again!" Then Peyton slaps her, hard, and her face is left stinging. She knows there must be a red hand print.

Lucas steps between them, and she expects his anger to be directed towards her, but instead it's directed towards Peyton.

"Hey, she's pregnant. You shouldn't have slapped her. That's uncalled for." His voice is eerily calm, but angry all the same. He turns his attention to her and his blue eyes are unreadable. "Brooke, I think you should go."

She nods. She doesn't have to be told twice. She gets in her car and hurries home, to her two bedroom apartment. The car ride is long, and she doesn't cry until she is opens the door of her home. If you could call it that anymore. Tree Hill is no longer her home. The only reason she is willing to stay, after the conversation she just had, is Nathan and Haley, and of course little Jamie.

Jake is out job searching, and Jenny is with Naley, leaving Brooke alone to cry. Memories of her night with Nathan force themselves to the front of her mind, and she feels dirty, so she decides to take a shower. She needs to wash him off her body. Wash the memory away.

So she hurries to the bathroom and strips down. Once in the shower, she scrubs her skin until it's red. She stays in until the water becomes cold, and when she gets out Jake is home, and Jenny is down for her eleven clock nap.

Not caring that she is dressed in nothing but a silk robe (she is too numb to care), she heads over to the fridge and nearly gets herself a beer, but decides against it at the last minute. Ever if she doesn't really want this baby, the last thing she wants to do is harm it.

"How'd it go?" Jake asks, his voice full of concern.

"Did you find a job?" She questions, changing the subject.

"Brooke," he begs, and she knows that he wants her to open up to him. She also knows in order to make this arrangement work, they have to communicate.

"It went…well, it sucked."

She turns around, and it isn't until then that Jake notices the red hand print on her face. He feels red, hot rage seep through his vein, as he rushes over to her.

"Did Peyton do this to you?" He asks, his voice low and forceful, as if he will not accept any answer but yes.

"I deserved it. I am 'pregnant' with your child," she says, stressing the word pregnant.

He shakes his head, and he can't remember one reason as to why he once loved Peyton Sawyer.

"Brooke, you're pregnant for god sakes. What she did is…you could have lost the baby. The stress," he stumbles over his words, because the thought of losing this child is almost too much. He had almost lost Jenny once and it had nearly killed him.

She shrugs, and he wants to shake her. Wants to make her realize how wrong Peyton is, and how much her and this baby has come to mean to him over the past four days. But, he has a feelings that's going to be difficult, because in the eyes of so many Peyton could do no wrong, and in the eyes of so few Brooke is important.

At least that's the way Jake has all always seen it, standing on the sidelines of their tight knit group, never completely apart of it, but never completely an outcast either. Brooke's friends make it look they are there for her, but in reality she is her own best friend. Except for maybe Haley, she always seemed nice enough. Welcoming and motherly.

When she fails to say anything else, he sighs. "Come on, let's get some ice to put on your cheek," he says.. He places his fingertips on the bruising part of her cheek, and she winces, backing away from his touch.

She shakes her head. "No, I'm fine. It's not that big of a deal."

"Brooke, you're gonna be in a lot of pain real soon, if you don't let me get you some ice," he insists, but when she narrows her eyes, he knows he's fighting a losing battle.

Before he can say anything else Jenny comes toddling out of the guest bedroom, the room that is now dubbed as his. They'll have to get a bigger apartment soon, or perhaps a house. Not that his new job at the local welding factory will cover a house payment, but he wants the best for his kids. He always has.

Jenny rubs her eyes with her tiny fists, and reaches up to him. He lifts her into his arms, and rocks her a bit. He can't believe that in less than seven months he'll have another baby to care for. Another life depending on him. Not that he regrets offering to help Brooke. No, he's glad he did. It gives him a purpose, a reason to get up every morning, besides Jenny. And even if he does regret it, he won't back out now. Because he knows how it feels to be a young, scared, single parent.

Later that night, all three of them sit around the small kitchen table Jake had brought with him from Savannah, Jenny in her booster seat. Brooke has cooked spaghetti, and it's surprisingly good, as he never associated Brooke Davis with cooking.

"How'd the job search go?" She asks, after swallowing.

"Good. I got a job at the welding factory," he replies, mid-chew.

She scrunches up her nose. "Don't talk while you're chewing. What are you going to be doing there?"

He fights the urge to roll his eyes, but closes his mouth before he answers her next question. "Well, Brooke it is a welding factory….so I don't I guess I'll be welding."

She glares at him for his smart ass response, but then a smile grazes her full lips when Jenny speaks.

"Brooke, dis is really good!" The little girl says, politely.

"Thanks sweetie," the brunette woman replies, and Jake can't help but think that Brooke will be a wonderful mom.


End file.
